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Hi all.
SUUUPER busy day yesterday.
I saw some things I wanted to comment on. I have no idea why I'm awake in the middle of the nite but I got up b/c I couldn't sleep (still dealing with adrenal fatigue, I believe)

Scale Discouragement: The scale is only one measure of fat loss. It measures our entire weight. As your body loses fat, it holds water for a bit & then whoosh the water flushes away. Those of us with large weight losses have gotten very used to the ebbs and flows of the scale. Make peace with it to get thru your IP journey with less stress in your life.

Our first reaction is to "do something!" to fix it. A week or two with no change is a normal part of the weigh loss journey. Some folks rarely experience it but most have many bouts with it. Unless you are super carb resistant, there is no reason to try to "hack" the IP plan to move things along faster. This is just your body shifting. The weight will move if you stay the course. A true plateau would be at least 4 weeks of no change. Many weight loss experts say 4-6 weeks of no change of measurements or scale.

Also know those body scan scales they use at clinics are inaccurate as all get-out. There are only a few ways to accurately measure fat, water, lean mass, etc. But also know lean mass isn't just muscle. It is EVERYTHING in your body that isn't fat: skin, bones, blood, blood vessels, connective tissues, organs, EVERYTHING. As we lose weight, our body sheds some of the excess of those things it doesn't need anymore. Some lean mass loss is expected.

Being cold: Yup! This is very common. And a common answer is we're losing our insulation. This isn't entirely true. What is happening is our metabolism is shifting as our body adapts to the changes we've made (and our bodies naturally try to slow the weight loss - it is a natural protection reaction). So, our metabolisms shift and slow a bit. This can temporarily throw off the thyroid. And a few people end up with longer-term thyroid probelms so be sure to keep it monitored if you get hypothyroid symptoms. Cold is one of them. Google for more.

Heartburn: The digestive enzymes have changed my life! I was on a PPI med for GERD for a LONG time (they are designed to be short-term medications). I did much research last summer and got myself off of them, even with the rebound effect that happens when you stop taking them. I first switched to a different type of acid reducer and then weaned myself off of that, all the while doing all the things to heal my gut. This literally took almost as long as losing 95 lbs did!

Surgery: I knew Ruth Ann would chime in & I knew she had good advice as one who had been through it. Low carb, per se, would not be contraindicated for surgery. Only from doctors who know too little about diet and nutrition and only believe the mainstream diet & nutrition info. Low fat is probably the thing I would change. The more I read about our "low fat culture" making us sicker, the more I'm learning how healthy (good) fats are for us - even saturated fat, especially when we keep all the starches and sugars out.

Trishlo73 (veggie hater): Look at the first post of this thread and click the veggie puree thread. Lots ways to hide veggies in that thread, including soups and smoothies!

Someone asked about the weight tracker. Info about that is in the first post of this thread, as well.

Good morning Lisa - I really didn't not want to be up at 3:30 in the morning so I feel for you! But is 3:30 the middle of the night or early morning?

Good stuff up there. Especially about the scale. I think I've used the scale at my coach's office that shows the lean/fat ratio twice - I just don't think they can be very accurate and don't see the point. I suppose if I had been doing it from the beginning it might be good information just to show a downward trend.

Good afternoon everyone. My weigh in today and I'm down 1lb. During the week (daily weigher) i was down to 218!! But today it is 220!!! I have had some odd health problems this week resulting in swollen and sore hands. The doctor told me I had an allergic reaction to something, to take antihistamine. It is getting better slowly so I reckon the weight is fluid retention. Hoping for a larger loss next week. I wasn't taking my supplements properly/at all and this is week 3 so yesterday I went out and bought my vitamins and minerals. Lesson learned. Happy Friday everyone.

Surgery: I knew Ruth Ann would chime in & I knew she had good advice as one who had been through it. Low carb, per se, would not be contraindicated for surgery. Only from doctors who know too little about diet and nutrition and only believe the mainstream diet & nutrition info. Low fat is probably the thing I would change. The more I read about our "low fat culture" making us sicker, the more I'm learning how healthy (good) fats are for us - even saturated fat, especially when we keep all the starches and sugars out.

Thank you for the great information in this post, Lisa. You are so knowledgeable and patient to share what you've learned! Thank you too Ruth Ann for your comments on the surgery question. In thinking about it, I would really like to continue with P1 and push my goal up another 10 lbs. I will have a pre-op visit before the date, so I can do some checking on the food then, and plan out my IP food. I will ask about adding protein for post-op healing (good tip Ruth Ann). Lisa, how would you change the fat? Any thoughts on what and how much to add? I will also ask my coach next visit. I'm thinking this is doable.

NSV!! i am wearing my wedding ring set this morning! I have not worn them in several years because they had gotten too small and I just refused to get them enlarged.

On another note, my face seems to be puffier. My CPAP is leaving ridges in my face and it takes an hour or so to go away after waking. I am following protocol 100%, drinking about 12-15 servings per day, using my ID salt...

Thank you for the great information in this post, Lisa. You are so knowledgeable and patient to share what you've learned! Thank you too Ruth Ann for your comments on the surgery question. In thinking about it, I would really like to continue with P1 and push my goal up another 10 lbs. I will have a pre-op visit before the date, so I can do some checking on the food then, and plan out my IP food. I will ask about adding protein for post-op healing (good tip Ruth Ann). Lisa, how would you change the fat? Any thoughts on what and how much to add? I will also ask my coach next visit. I'm thinking this is doable.

Just remember RA 2 - do NOT step on the scale the day after surgery if you're easily freaked out about the number! I did it and saw a 6 or 8 lb gain overnight. Of course it was gone in just a few days but it was not a good idea to weigh myself right after surgery!

Thank you for the great information in this post, Lisa. You are so knowledgeable and patient to share what you've learned! Thank you too Ruth Ann for your comments on the surgery question. In thinking about it, I would really like to continue with P1 and push my goal up another 10 lbs. I will have a pre-op visit before the date, so I can do some checking on the food then, and plan out my IP food. I will ask about adding protein for post-op healing (good tip Ruth Ann). Lisa, how would you change the fat? Any thoughts on what and how much to add? I will also ask my coach next visit. I'm thinking this is doable.

The one thing I'd add about surgery is that you don't want to be in ketosis during your surgery - it's just too hard on your organs. This is why most coaches would/should recommend a brief phasing out before the actual surgery date.

Your liver and kidneys work extra hard during ketosis and they are the same organs that process the anesthetic out of your system post surgery so it puts a serious strain on them. And since your body will already be working hard enough to heal and repair from the surgery itself you don't want to strain it any more than it already will be.

The one thing I'd add about surgery is that you don't want to be in ketosis during your surgery - it's just too hard on your organs. This is why most coaches would/should recommend a brief phasing out before the actual surgery date.

Your liver and kidneys work extra hard during ketosis and they are the same organs that process the anesthetic out of your system post surgery so it puts a serious strain on them. And since your body will already be working hard enough to heal and repair from the surgery itself you don't want to strain it any more than it already will be.

Good luck!!

My surgeon and anesthesiologist had no problems with me being in ketosis for either surgery and I healed just fine (except for the stitch the surgeon managed to get right on a nerve!).

I think discussing it with the surgeon and anesthesiologist is probably the best route to go and follow whatever they recommend.